Side sleeping doll eye



Sept. 29, 1970 w. owrrz ETAL 3,530,616

SIDE SLEEPING DOLL EYE Filed April 3, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 5

INVENTOR WILLIAM LIEBOWITZ ET AL BY a ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1970 w owrrz ETAL SIDE SLEEPING DOLL EYE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April}, 1968 FIG. 7

FIG. 6

FIG. 8

INVENTOR WILLIAM LIEBOWlTZ ET AL ATTORNEY United States Patent Oflice 3,530,616 SIDE SLEEPING DOLL EYE William Leibowitz, Flushing, Frank DeLise, Staten Island,

Robert Gardel, New York, and Egon Gorsky, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignors to Dollac Company, Division of Jacoby-Bender, Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 718,435 Int. Cl. A63h 3/40 US. Cl. 46169 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to doll eyes and more particularly to a unit eye of the sleeping type. The particular feature of the invention resides in a construction for an eyeball and actuator wherein when the doll in which a pair of unit eyes is provided has been oriented so that it is lyingsdown on its side the eyeballs rotate to sleeping position. Normally, with the doll erect, the eyes are open and when placed fiat on its back the eyes remain open; however, when rolled to rest on either side, the eyes close.

Briefly, the invention contemplates a doll eye unit having an eyeball pivotal on trunnions in the unit housing which is of generally conventional outward appearance and configuration so as to be readily insertable in the eye cavity of a doll head. The eyeball has a weight biasing it to open position when its pivotal axis is horizontal. A weighted cam pivotally mounted on a vertical axis is provided within the housing of the unit, which weight is fashioned with a pair of spaced dual cams that coact with cam followers carried by the eyeball. The spacing between the cams and the respective cam followers is such that when the doll is fiat on its back the weighted cam hangs with the spaced cams symetrically disposed with respect to the cam followers and the eyeball weight maintains the eyeball open. However, when the doll is rolled to one side or the other the weighted cam remains hanging in a generally downward position and the rolling movement of the doll with respect thereto causes one cam follower or the other to engage one cam or the other depending upon the left or right direction of rolling of the doll. The angularity of the cams and followers is such as to cause the eyeball to rotate around its trunnions to a sleeping position. When the doll is rotated back to a position whereat it is flat on its back, the eyeball is caused to open by its weight and remains open when the doll is elevated to vertical position.

A detailed description of the invention now follows in conjunction with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation in longitudinal cross-section through an eye unit of the invention, the eye unit being vertical.

FIG. 2 is a plan view taken as a section through 2-2 of FIG. 1, the rear shell or housing of the eye unit being omitted.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of a combination eyeball weight and cam follower element.

FIG. 4 is a view of the same component as seen in the direction 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view of the same component as seen in the direction of 55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the weighted actuator cam, below the follower in phantom.

FIG. 7 is a view in the direction 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective partially in section illustrating the position of the components when the doll is in sleeping position on its right side.

Patented Sept. 29, 1970 The invention provides a simple, rugged and economical mechanism for achieving an extremely novel effect and this and other objects will be apparent from the detailed description which now follows taken in conjunction with the drawing.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 8, the invention comprises an eye unit having a front shell 10 and a rear shell 13 telescoped so as to frictionally hold together at 16 in the usual manner and wherein an eyeball 20, visible through aperture 21, has trunnions 23 pivotally socketed in respective sockets 26 formed in the front shell, all as conventionally known heretofore. The eyeball is provided with a rear plate 30 secured thereto and which carries a weighted cam follower member 34- positioned above trunnions 23 as seen in FIG. 1. Member 34 may be of metal.

Thus, the eye unit shells may be conventionally made of stamped sheet metal and the eyeball of plastic and cemented at the rear edge of the eyeball and having a reduced portion inserted into the eyeball for rigidity.

Cam follower 34 which is also the eyeball biasing weight is provided with a pair of spaced pins 38 passing through bores of plate 30 and headed on the other side to secure it to the plate.

The rear shell 13 is provided with a suitable pair of diametrically opposed trunnion sockets or troughs 40 for pivotally accommodating trunnions 43 of a weighted cam 46 which is retained in the rear shell by a ring 50 which frictionally grips the interior of the shell and loosely engages trunnions 43. Accordingly, it will be understood that the cam 46 can swing with respect to the cam follower 34, either on a vertical or a horizontal axis. The effect of swinging on a horizontal axis produces the sleeping eye result when the doll is horizontal as will be explained. However, rocking the doll in an erect position will achieve a blinking effect, as will be understood from what follows.

The effect of maintaining the eye open is achieved by mounting the eyeball weight, i.e., cam follower 34 above the trunnions 23. When the doll is vertical and cam 46 is in central postion (FIGS. 1 and 2) on its then vertical axis it prevents follower 34 from closing the eye since it interferes with the movement of the follower. The same effect is had with the doll horizontal when facing upwardly as will be understood from the following.

The camming action between the numbers 34 and 36 is provided by cam follower surfaces 50 and 53 of the eyeball cam follower 34 which are engaged by the cams 56 and 59 of the weighted actuator cam 46. The cam surfaces are generally smoothly pyramidical or conical being thus preferably tapering as shown. The cams extend from a partially spherical body having a flat inner face 74 from which extend the trunnions 43 in one direction while the earns 56 and 59' extend perpendicularly to the plane of the trunnions and spacedly straddle cam follower 34 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 6. Cam actuator 46 may be of metal and preferably has at all times greater gravitational torque around its own axis than the biasing torque of follower 34 has about the eyeball trunnion axis, the actuator being made heavier for the purpose of ensuring positive control of the actuator over the cam follower.

When the eye is in a horizontal position with the eyeball optical axis (shown horizontal in FIG. 2) vertical, the actuator cam 46 hangs straight down and the cams 56, 59 are spaced from the respective cam follower surfaces 50, 53 of follower 34. Thus, as viewed on FIG. 2, if FIG. 2 be considered oriented clockwise the spatial relationship will be noted. However, if the eye unit is rotated from such position to the right, it will be appreciated that the follower surface 53 will engage the cam 59 and the eyeball will be caused to rotate around the axis 3 of its trunnions to a sleeping position, it being noted that the bias effect of the follower weight decreases as the pivotal axis of the eyeball becomes increasingly vertical. The same effect is achieved were the unit to be rotated to the left.

The nature of the action is readily visualized from FIG. 6 showing the cam actuation 46 lying in horizontal posi tion, the position it would have when the doll is flat on its back with the optical axis vertical. The juxtaposed position of cam follower 34 relative to the cam is illustrated in phantom. If now the actuator be visualized as pivoting out of the plane of the paper on trunnions 43, it will be readily apparent that cam 56 will engage the adjacent follower surface 50, or cam 59 will engage surface 53, dependent on the direction of pivoting.

The above action is illustrated in the perspective of FIG. 8 wherein it will be seen that the actuator cam 4-6 is hanging slantedly downward on its trunnions and the cam 59 is engaging the follower surface 53. This illustrates the eyeball in sleeping position when a doll is resting on its left side.

In summation, the kinematics of the invention involve an eyeball having an optical axis and a pivotal axis with a cam follower and weight normally biasing the eyeball to an open position, in conjunction with a weighted dual cam actuator having a pivotal axis which is vertical when cam actuation is effected, i.e., the doll lies on either side. Thus, all three axes are mutually perpendicular.

Preferably, the follower 34 is designed so that if the doll is held vertically, without being shook, the follower is close to the cam body and cannot cause rotation of the eyeball even though in a condition of unstable equilibrium, since the actuator interferes with movement of the follower. However, shaking the doll from side to side can rock the actuator out of engaging position With the weighted follower, which can then pivot the eyeball to closing position due to being able to swing clockwise (FIG. 1) around trunnions 23. Of course, such condition of unstable equilibrium can be readily eliminated, if not desired, e.g., by shifting the center of gravity of the follower further to the rear away from the eyeball axis. The arrangement permits achieving a blinking of the eyes of a doll or effecting a sleeping condition by rocking a vertical doll and provides play value. Of course, when the doll is horizontal the eyeball has stable equilibrium and must be rolled to one side or the other to effect sleeping.

In the preceding discussion the term optical axis is intended to mean a line through the center of the eyeball sphere and pupil center when the eyeball is in an awakened position looking forwardly or upwardly, and such term is introduced as a means of explaining the invention and defining the relationship of the eyeball with respect to its pivotal axis and the actuator axis.

While engagement, i.e., driving of the follower means by the actuator is described as a cam engagement, it will be understood the effect can be achieved by magnetic repulsion. Thus, the actuator could be a horseshoe magnet. The follower could likewise be a horseshoe magnet, smaller and lighter, and oriented so that either of its poles would be repelled upon being approached by a respective actuator pole. Alternatively, small ceramic magnet discs in place of the follower could be used and a pair of magnetic means such as ceramic magnet discs in place of the spaced cams could be used, all such magnets being oriented for repulsion. Additional weighting for the eyeball and actuator could be added if needed.

What is claimed is:

1. A doll eye comprising an eyeball mounted on a pivotal axis and said eyeball having an optical axis substantially perpendicular to said pivotal axis; said eyeball having a follower and a biasing weight wherein said weight is positioned relative to said eyeball pivotal axis to bias said eyeball to a predetermined position when said eyeball is oriented with said pivotal axis horizontal and said optical axis vertical; an actuator mounted on a pivotal axis perpendicular to said optical axis and to said eyeball pivotal axis and reversibly engageable with said follower; an actuator weight biasing said actuator from engagement with said follower when said pivotal axis of said actuator is horizontal and said optical axis is vertical, said latter weight being pivotally operative in either direction of pivoting to effect engagement of said actuator with said follower when the pivotal axis of said actuator is horizontal and said optical axis is horizontal to effect rotation of said eyeball to another position, and mount means providing a fixed relationship between all said axes.

2. A doll eye unit for a sleeping doll and said unit comprising a housing with an opening and having an eyeball rotatively mounted therein on a pivotal axis and said eyeball having an eyeball weight biasing said eyeball to an awake position with respect to said opening; said eyeball being provided with follower means; an actuator comprising an actuator weight and being reversibly rotatively mounted within said housing on a pivotal axis perpendicular to the eyeball pivotal axis and said actuator being provided with a pair of means for driving the follower means of said eyeball in a respective direction by bias of said actuator weight, wherein positioning of said unit to dispose the pivotal axis of the eyeball in a vertical plane and said actuator axis in a horizontal plane effects relative motion between said follower means and said actuator to effect driving of said follower means by one or the other of said pair of means to rotate said eyeball about its axis for achieving a sleeping effect.

3. A doll eye unit as set forth in claim 2, said follower means comprising cam surfaces carried by said eyeball and said pair of means comprising cams.

4. A doll eye unit as set forth in claim 3, said cams being spaced to straddle said follower means when said eyeball is in awake position relative said opening.

5. A doll eye unit as set forth in claim 2, said follower means comprising a metallic member secured to said eyeball above the eyeball pivotal axis and extending rearwardly therefrom, the optical axis being horizontal, and having a pair of sloping cam surfaces converging upwardly towards each other.

6. A doll eye unit as set forth in claim 2, said eyeball weight and said follower means comprising an integral follower member having follower surfaces; said pair of means for driving said follower means being a pair of cams and forming an integral actuator member with said actuator weight and said cams being engageable with respective surfaces.

7. A doll eye unit as set forth in claim 6, said members being disposed in interfering relation to each other when said eyeball is in a position appearing to look upwardly, so as to prevent rotation of said eyeball.

8. A doll eye unit as set forth in claim 2, said actuator comprising a metallic member having a bulbous body extending rearwardly in said housing with respect to its pivotal axis, said pair of means comprising a pair of cams spaced from each other so as to straddle said follower means when the optical axis is vertical.

9. A doll eye unit as set forth in claim 2, said actuator weight being heavier than said eyeball weight.

10. A doll eye comprising an eyeball mounted on a pivotal axis and said eyeball having an optical axis substantially perpendicular to said pivotal axis; a follower and an eyeball weight carried by said eyeball whereby said weight is positioned relative to said eyeball axis to bias said eyeball to a predetermined position when said eyeball is oriented with said pivotal axis horizontal and said optical axis vertical; and actuator mounted on a pivotal axis perpendicular to said optical axis and to said eyeball pivotal axis and engageable with said follower; an actuator weight operable to maintain said actuator from engagement with said follower when said pivotal axis of said actuator is horizontal and said optical axis is vertical, said latter weight being operative to effect engagement of said actuator with said follower when the pivotal axis of said actuator is horizontal and said optical axis is horizontal to effect rotation of said eyeball to another position, said follower means and eyeball weight comprising an integral member, and said follower means 5 comprising cam follower surfaces formed on said weight; said actuator and said actuator weight comprising an integral member and said actuator comprising spaced cams disposed to engage respective cam follower surfaces.

ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner 

